Marco Rubio’s first experiences with Donald Trump concerned buying and selling schoolyard insults, however he’ll now turn out to be the president-elect’s face to the world — probably exhibiting a extra conventional, hawkish US overseas coverage, particularly on China.
Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants who can be the primary US secretary of state fluent in Spanish, from his earliest days has been a vociferous opponent of the communist authorities in Havana and different Latin American leftists, together with in Venezuela.
In current years the senator from Florida, whose nomination has been reported by a number of US media shops however not but confirmed, has turn out to be one of the crucial outspoken senators towards Beijing.
His efforts have included championing Taiwan, transferring to limit Chinese enterprise operations within the United States and main legislative measures to punish the Asian energy over its therapy of Hong Kong and the Uyghur minority.
Rubio has additionally lengthy joined Republicans of their fervent assist for Israel and exhausting line on Iran’s clerical state.
Yet for all of his adamant views on the world, the baby-faced 53-year-old was as soon as seen as a rising star in a extra reasonable Republican Party that may attain out to minorities and suburban swing voters.
After Barack Obama received reelection in 2012, Rubio, then an bold first-term senator, sought to work throughout occasion strains to overtake the immigration system and supply a extra humane, authorized pathway to undocumented immigrants.
Trump has received his second time period on a starkly completely different platform — mass deportation — and Trump crushed Rubio’s personal presidential ambitions in 2016 within the Republican major.
Rubio, in search of to combat Trump at his degree, informed a Virginia rally throughout that marketing campaign: “Have you seen his arms?”
“You know what they are saying about males with small arms,” Rubio stated tauntingly.
The crowd erupted. But Rubio’s low blow antagonized Trump, who would mock him as “Little Marco.”
“He referred to my arms — in the event that they’re small, one thing else have to be small,” Trump stated days later at a Republican debate, as Rubio stood simply ft away. “I assure you there is no drawback.”
– Future ‘outlined’ by Asia –
Rubio, very like Vice President-elect JD Vance, has regarded on the Republican citizens and turn out to be a full-throated supporter of Trump, a lot to the president-elect’s delight.
In an interview on Catholic-oriented EWTN after Trump’s victory over Vice President Kamala Harris, Rubio backed Trump’s assertion that the United States is overextended and may deal with rivalry with China.
Speaking like Trump, if extra diplomatically, Rubio stated Ukraine had fought valiantly however hit a “stalemate” towards Russian invaders and that the United States ought to present “pragmatism” moderately than sending billions of {dollars} extra in weapons.
“I do not like what Vladimir Putin did, and we do have an curiosity in what occurs there,” Rubio stated of Russia’s president.
“But I feel the way forward for the twenty first century goes to largely be outlined by what occurs within the Indo-Pacific.”
Rubio within the Senate has led efforts to arm Taiwan, the self-governing democracy claimed by Beijing. He has referred to as for direct shipments of US munitions and superior army applied sciences in hopes of deterring China, moderately than merely promoting weapons to Taiwan.
In July, Rubio insisted {that a} second Trump administration would assist Taiwan after Trump in an interview appeared to say that the island wanted to pay the United States “safety” cash.
– ‘Exceptional’ America –
Rubio superior rapidly in politics, profitable a metropolis election in 1998 5 years out of faculty and turning into speaker of the Florida House of Representatives at age 34.
A Roman Catholic, he has 4 daughters along with his childhood sweetheart, Jeanette Dousdebes, a former cheerleader for the NFL’s Miami Dolphins.
Rubio has steadily spoken of his working-class background — a father who labored as a bartender, coming residence late, and a mom who was a cashier.
In a 2012 interview with Time, Rubio recalled how his mom left him a voice message urging him to not “mess” with undocumented immigrants, pleading that they’re “human beings identical to us.”
Now that he’s poised to be America’s high diplomat below the anti-immigration Trump, Rubio is prone to take one other a part of his household’s message — their steadfast opposition to communism.
In a 2012 memoir, “An American Son,” Rubio recounted how his cigar-smoking grandfather informed him how the United States was a beacon to the world’s oppressed.
“My grandfather did not know America was distinctive as a result of he examine it in a e-book. He lived it and noticed it along with his personal eyes.”